Humming
['hʌmɪŋ]
Definition
(p. pr. & vb. n.) of Hum
(a.) Emitting a murmuring sound; droning; murmuring; buzzing.
(n.) A sound like that made by bees; a low, murmuring sound; a hum.
Editor: Spence
Definition
n. a low murmuring sound like that made by bees.—ns. Humm′ing-bird a tropical bird of brilliant plumage and rapid flight from the humming sound of its wings; Humm′ing-top a top which when spun gives a humming sound.
Checker: Lucy
Examples
- He walked to the fireplace and warmed himself, humming the fag end of a tune in a rich convivial bass voice. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Wildeve began humming as the reddleman had done. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- This she did upon her knees, humming a lively little tune the while. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- It was also named the _throstle_, from the fact that it gave a humming or singing sound while at work; but it is commonly known as the _drawing_ frame. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
- She had been fashioned to adorn and delight; to what other end does nature round the rose-leaf and paint the humming-bird's breast? Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- She dropped a brisk curtsey, and walked back along the gallery, humming a little tune, and keeping time to it cheerfully with the nosegay in her hand. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Sherlock Holmes was not very communicative during the long drive and lay back in the cab humming the tunes which he had heard in the afternoon. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- Drowsily they whirred all through this sunny day, making the passenger more sleepy and more hot as he passed the humming walls of the mills. Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- I paced up and down the room, humming a tune under my breath to keep up my spirits and feeling that I was thoroughly earning my fifty-guinea fee. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- She comes in laughing, humming, and frisks about the stage with all the innocence of theatrical youth--she makes a curtsey. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- A great moth goes humming by me; it alights on a plant at Mr. Rochester's foot: he sees it, and bends to examine it. Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- He got up instantly, went quite to the other end of the walk, and when he came back he was humming a tune. Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- The little dressmaker stood up at the foot of the bed, humming her song, and nodded to him brightly. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
Editor: Nat